Month: December 2016

Every month I send out my parliamentary newsletter to hundreds of subscribers to my mailing list. This is meant as a round up of some of my activities over the previous month and to highlight issues and campaigns that might be of interest to constituents in Glasgow South West. You can view the December edition of my newsletter, and subscribe to future editions, by clicking here. Below are some of the highlights from my December newsletter.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

It has been a whirlwind and hectic year as your Member of Parliament – but above all a privilege to be your elected representative. Glasgow South West has over 65,000 voters, and no matter how you vote my number one priority is to represent you to the best of my ability.
My special thanks to Eilidh Masters of Gowanbank Primary School, who designed the winning entry in the competition to design mine and Humza Yousaf MSP’s Christmas card. All the entries from schoolchildren were fantastic and helping pick a winner was one of my toughest jobs as an MP!

I hope your 2017 is productive, enjoyable, and positive for you and yours.

Save Glasgow’s Job Centres

It emerged this month that the UK Government has secret plans to close half of Glasgow’s Jobcentres. In a city like ours, with multiple levels of deprivation and poverty, this is nothing short of a disgrace. Some Jobcentres will have over 3,000 JSA and Universal Credit claims on their books – while the Prime Minister’s local Jobcentre deals with 515, and the Minister responsible for Jobcentres has 295 at his.

Together your Glasgow and Rutherglen MPs have been fighting these ludicrous and draconian proposals. We met with the Minister for Employment last week and made clear Glasgow cannot and must not be treated as a guinea pig for further closures. Earlier this week we held a Westminster Hall debate on these proposed closures; you can view my speech in this debate by clicking the image above.

We will not let this city be the victim of yet more Tory austerity and will fight this attack on the most vulnerable in society every step of the way.

Securing Our Shipyards

I’m pleased that the UK Government has finally seen sense and kept their promises to the people of Glasgow over shipbuilding on the Clyde. I’ve fought alongside my colleagues across the city and Scotland to make sure the orders for type-26 frigates and offshore patrol vessels went to Govan and Scotstoun, where they belong.

I’ll keep on making sure the Government sticks to its promises, and ensure the hundreds of skilled jobs are kept on the Clyde for decades to come.

Myself and my colleague Alison Thewliss MP have strong words to say to the Westminster Government for failing to consult DWP staff and the Civil Servants Trade Union on plans to change proof of eligibility of child tax credits, aka the rape clause policy.

Many thanks to all of the schools and children that took the time to submit entries for our Christmas card competition this year. The quality of the entries was exceptionally high and it was a very tough decision but eventually Humza Yousaf and myself chose Eilidh Mathers design as the overall winner. Congratulations Eilidh!